Of course, it was Wisconsin's fault, too, for putting the game in the officials' hands when it was not required.

Arizona State ended up "winning" the game, 32-30, when time ran out on Wisconsin deep in Sun Devils territory.

Wisconsin had first down at the 13 with 18 seconds left with the ball sitting on the right hash line when the Badgers decided that just wasn't good enough. With no timeouts, quarterback Joel Stave took the snap and tried to maneuver the ball to the middle of the field to get a better angle for its kicker.

Stave stumbled a bit behind the back of a lineman's leg and appeared to quickly down the ball with his right knee. It was unclear in real time but Wisconsin would definitely win the court case based on all the Twitter still shots their fans blasted into cyberspace.

Stave's mistake was not giving the ball to an official but setting it on the ground. Arizona State linebacker Anthony Jones, who did not realize Stave had taken a knee, pounced on what he thought was a live ball.

"We just jumped on it," Arizona State safety Alden Darby said. "And I guess time ran out so we won. I was confused back there."

He wasn't alone.

The clock ticked as Stave explained to one official he had downed the ball. The ref nodded in agreement but, by the time the ball was reset, the game clock had expired.

Worth noting is a new rule this year that prohibits a ball to be spiked with three seconds or less remaining.

Was Wisconsin even aware of this rule?

Anyway, the whole ending got botched and now the Pac-12 has to explain what happened, and why.

This is not comparable, in my opinion, to the 2006 game in which the Pac-12 robbed Oklahoma of a win in Eugene. Even after a replay review, Oregon was allowed to recover an onside kick despite the fact a Ducks player touched it illegally before it traveled 10 yards.

And, one more thing, an Oklahoma player recovered the ball. Oregon used the gaffe to win the game by one before fleeing the crime scene.

Oklahoma President David Boren demanded the game be stricken from the records but thankfully a cooler head prevailed. That head belonged to then-Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg, now Scott's No. 2 man in the Pac-12 office.

"I don't have a lot to say," Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen said after the latest Pac-12 puzzler. "It is a shame that it went down that way."

Yes it was.

Bottom line: Wisconsin probably got hosed but is also guilty of playing with matches next to a gas can.

Arizona State improved to 2-0 while Wisconsin fell to 2-1. Arizona State opens Pac-12 play this week at Stanford while Wisconsin plays host to Purdue in its Big Ten opener.

Andersen said it is important for Wisconsin not to dwell after a heartbreaking defeat.

"The lesson is don't let ASU beat you twice," he said.

The outcome overshadowed an almost simultaneous thriller in Salt Lake City in which Oregon State needed overtime to defeat Utah, 51-48.

Both sidelines were deeply, and emotionally, charged. Oregon State players were stunned by a second-half head injury to star running back Storm Woods, who was taken off the field by ambulance.

Woods was able to give a "thumbs up" sign as he was carted away and tweeted out Sunday he was OK.

On the Utah sideline, quarterback Travis Wilson played the game of his life in honor of San Clemente (Calif.) High friend and teammate Nick Pasquale, the freshman UCLA receiver killed last weekend.

Wilson forced overtime with a nine-yard touchdown run in which he raced around right end and clipped the goal-line pylon with the ball while skidding out of bounds.

Wilson passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 142 yards with three scores.

But is life ever fair?

Utah scored a field goal on its possession in overtime but lost when Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion's tipped pass off a Utah defender floated into hands of Beavers receiver Brandin Cooks in the end zone.

After the game Wilson, the losing quarterback, exchanged an embrace with Oregon State freshman lineman Sean Harlow.

It could have been any Oregon State player offering his well wishes after a hard-fought game, but it wasn't.

Harlow was also a teammate of Pasquale's at San Clemente.

What an emotional week. What an emotional night.

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